Australian brains trust in big Melbourne showdown

MELBOURNE: Matthew Mott is one win away from coaching a T20 World Cup-winning team in both men and women if England clinch the final on Sunday. If Pakistan win, two all- time great opening partners and best friends—Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden—would have achieved victory, as coach and mentor respectively, for two different teams in succes- sive editions.

Mike Hussey and David Saker are working behind the scenes with England while former Australia fast bowler Shaun Tait has been one of the reasons Pakistan have the best economy rate since the Super 12s. Take a look at the T20 World Cup final- ists and you will see Australians holding key positions in both teams.

The logic is simple: To win in Australia, take help from Australian experts. Unlike India, many teams have long resorted to event-specific consultancy. Pakistan got Tait as bowling coach in February and Hayden as mentor in September. England think differently.

They have already separated white-ball and red-ball duties, making Mott and Brendon McCullum the respective

head coaches. It’s an approach England skipper Jos Buttler feels could become popular going forward.

Coaches for formats

“It’s certainly something I think other teams may look at,” Buttler said at the MCG on Saturday. “Even when sort of one person was in charge, you were sort of seeing them having to miss certain series or one of the assistants taking over for a little bit. Certainly, in terms of the stability of the groups, it’s a real plus that we know exactly who our coaching staff is, who our head coach is, and they have full ownership over that team.”

It is with this clarity that Mott, a former opener for New South Wales and Victoria, was given the job after he guided the Australia women’s team to the ODI World Cup against England in New Zealand this* year. It was just the win needed to round off Mott’s growing white-ball credentials, following the Women’s T20 World Cup final win against India at the MCG in 2020.

Over seven years in charge, Mott slowly changed the face of Australian women’s cricket, transforming them into a sharper, more athletic unit. After that high, England was just the right challenge for him.